So you want to spend the summer like a Persian Princess sipping rose in the shade of an airy outdoor daybed? Cool, that sounds like a great plan. But before you bust out the ice bucket you may have to make this super easy DIY outdoor daybed, like I just did!

I actually wanted something like this amazing little cocoon (pictured below)....but at $8,000 it would cost more than my trusty pick-up, so I decided to make one.

First, I scavenged around the house and found everything I needed to put this little project together, and let me tell ya, I have been living the Persian Princess dream ever since.

I started with this simple iron day bed that I found in my guest room. If you aren't lucky enough to have one already, I recommend looking for one on Craigslist, I see similar ones quite often selling for $50-$100.

For the curtain sheers I folded them in half and sewed a single line of stitch about 2 inches from the fold line which created a channel. I inserted the front piece of PVC through the original curtain channel, and the back piece of PVC through the new channel that I just created. I did this for all 4 curtain sheers.

Then I wedged the ends of the PVC into the holes on the opposite side of the iron day bed. Creating an arch.

Voila! A shady retreat for some hardcore lounging. Now that's how you "bring the indoors out".

Complete the look with this outdoor rug by Mad Mats, made from 100% recycled plastic, available in 3 sizes, now at Vintage By Design!

My entryway has been sorely neglected as you can see in the "before" picture above. Once you get settled into a home it's easy to stop seeing things for what they are. One would think that since I own a vintage furniture shop and am admittedly obsessed with interior design and styling, that my house would be beautifully furnished, one would be wrong. Not to say that it's all horrible, but there are some areas of my home that are just a little more desperate than others. I think the thing that holds me back from making little changes is that I really want to make big changes i.e new flooring, windows, paint and so on. So rather then bothering to make the place as good as it can be, I end up settling for blah.
So today's post is an example of how little changes can be effective and fabulous even if you still have ugly beige walls and hideously gross carpeting. The reason that I am evening sharing this mini-makeover is not because I think it's totally awesome and a perfect representation of my style, but rather because, I didn't spend a single dollar or even leave the house. I simply worked with what was available, and while the improvements were subtle, they were improvements non the less.
So here is a quick summery of my styling goals:
A. Bring in a consistent color pallet.
According to fung Shui, my entry way falls into the career and life path section of the bagua. This bagua belongs to the water element meaning I should incorporate things that represent water. For example, round objects, undulating shapes, colors blue and black and mirrors, are all important for insuring that I can continue to succeed doing the the work that I love.
B. Add texture. I was able to incorporate texture by introducing the sheepskin and the basket
C. Bring in some pattern.
Admittedly I would like to bring in more pattern, perhaps by replacing the throw rug, but here we see pattern in the armadillo, and the framed print.
D. Greenery. I have a rather large plant family, it was pretty easy to relocated a few to the entry way to infuse it with some life.
E. Shapes. When styling a space it always helps to showcase a variety of shapes. In this little vignette, you'll notice that the rectangle shapes of the books and the mirrored tray contrast nicely with the round shape of the vase and planter. In addition to round and square we have the the little black and white armadillo to add a sculptural shape and introduce much needed pattern.
F. Introduce personalized items. It makes me happy to see the the the arrow that we brought back from our trip to the Amazon river in Brazil has found a home. The armadillo was a gift from a dear friend who purchased it for me in Nicaruagua after we spotted a baby armadillo while we were hiking on a volcano in the middle of a lake.

Her she is folks, the ugly '90's kitchen. Yes, there is no denying this kitchen is bad, and I do live here and cook here all the time (poor me). This shot was taken 4 years ago, right before we moved in. I would love to follow this picture with a shot of a gorgeous kitchen, like the billion I have in my pinterest file and say "tada, check out my brand-spanking-new fabulous kitchen". But the truth is it is even uglier then this before shot. It has more clutter and looks more used and lived in. Sad I know, but I am working on it folks. My pile of floor, counter and back splash samples is growing, changes are coming......

The kitchen below represents the look and style that I am aiming to achieve. Copious amounts of white, open shelving, brass accents and even herringbone pattern flooring making it just right.

Here is another shot of a beautifully designed and perfectly styled kitchen that will some day be mine!

Yesterday was a wonderful spring day. The weather was warm the sun was shinning, in a word it was flawless. I was confined to the house as my truck was spending some quality time with the mechanic. I love being home, painting and doing DIY projects. Luckily I have a never ending supply of furniture pieces that are begging for some lovin'. So with paint brush in hand I tackled a few projects yesterday.
I was dying to makeover this dresser below. I had painted it this deep charcoal color but was not at all happy with the end result.

This is the result of 3 coats of my homemade chalk paint and a little wax to seal and protect the finish

My name is Faith and I am a self proclaimed furniture junky who habitually scours Craigslist ads like a fiendish crackhead. Luckily I have a small vintage furniture shop so I have an outlet to transform my obsession into a profession.

I love me some home style and interior design blogs. It's my intention to create a fun place that is a collection of inspiring projects, design and styling tips, DIY ideas, and chronicles of my home projects and transformations.

My husband and I purchased a large ranch house in rural Sonoma County, California area about 4 years ago. The house sits on 7 acres of gentle rolling hills, oak and redwood patches and ancient pear and apple orchards. In a word its perfect. The house was built in 1990 so, while the floor plan is great, the dated finishes leave a lot to be desired.

After purchasing the house and replacing the roof for an additional $42,000 our budget for cosmetic fixes was pretty much nil. So I have done my best with finding things here and there, making the best of a small budget. With the recent real estate rebound we have some equity and a small budget to start tackling some of the projects that I have been dying to get started on.

So follow along as we style, design, paint, and shop. It's bound be fun!